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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, January 2000, p. 68-71, Vol. 7, No. 1
1071-412X/0/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis Agent Infection in a Pony Vaccinated with a Borrelia burgdorferi Recombinant OspA Vaccine and Challenged by Exposure to Naturally Infected Ticks

Yung-Fu Chang,1,* Sean P. McDonough,2 Chao-Fu Chang,1 Kwang-Soon Shin,1 William Yen,1 and Thomas Divers3

Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Science,1 Department of Biomedical Sciences,2 and Department of Clinical Sciences,3 College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853

Received 22 July 1999/Returned for modification 30 September 1999/Accepted 13 October 1999

A pony was vaccinated with recombinant OspA vaccine (rOspA) and then exposed 3 months later to Borrelia burgdorferi-infected ticks (Ixodes scapularis) collected in Westchester County, N.Y. At 2 weeks after tick exposure, the pony developed a high fever (105°F). Buffy coat smears showed that 20% of neutrophils contained ehrlichial inclusion bodies (morulae). Flunixin Meglumine (1 g daily) was given for 2 days, and the body temperature returned to normal. PCR for ehrlichial DNA was performed on blood samples for 10 consecutive days beginning when the pony was first febrile. This pony was monitored for another 3.5 months but developed no further clinical signs. The 44-kDa immunodominant human granulocytic ehrlichiosis antigen gene was amplified by PCR and cloned into a pCR2.1 vector. DNA sequence analysis of this gene showed it was only 8 bp different (99% identity) from the results reported by others (J.W. Ijdo et al., Infect. Immun. 66:3264-3269, 1998). Western blot analysis, growth inhibition assays, and repeated attempts to isolate B. burgdorferi all demonstrated the pony was protected against B. burgdorferi infection. These results highlight the potential for ticks to harbor and transmit several pathogens simultaneously, which further complicates the diagnosis and vaccination of these emerging tick-borne diseases.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Science, College of Veterinary medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. Phone: (607) 253-3675. Fax: (607) 253-2943. E-mail: yc42{at}cornell.edu.


Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, January 2000, p. 68-71, Vol. 7, No. 1
1071-412X/0/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



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